Sarah Rockwell EDC 430 Teaching Philosophy 9/23/11
Teaching Philosophy As a science teacher, I value three important qualities in a classroom: democracy, self confidence, and inquiry. Students will be exposed to a democratic environment in my classroom. The students will be allowed and encouraged to make decisions within the classroom. Such decisions include the due date of an up-coming assignment, the topic of an inquiry lesson, and classroom rules and policies. Students should be made to feel like equal contributors to their environment. Student self confidence is an important quality in the effectiveness of my teaching. I want my students to feel courageous and confident enough to further explore the world around them. Students’ thoughts and questions will be respected by all who enter my classroom. Students will not be discouraged by producing incorrect answers. Instead, students will be encouraged to challenge themselves to collaborate their ideas to uncover the solution to a problem. As a science educator I value the use of inquiry in my classroom. Inquiry allows students to explore their own levels of thinking. This also allows students to build upon their prior knowledge to arrive at a new understanding. An inquiry-based classroom prepares students to be scientific thinkers, which is a valued characteristic among educated individuals. Students’ creative abilities will be nourished and allowed to grow. Such creative thinkers are necessary to the economic growth of a society. Every student deserves a fair opportunity to learn. It is my obligation and goal as an educator to provide that opportunity for all of my students. To accomplish this goal, it is important that my students can build their self confidence by being an active member of a democratic classroom. As a science teacher, I am aware that this self esteem will allow my students to take more risks in their scientific thinking when conducting inquiry lessons within the classroom. With all of these main staples in place, my students should all feel that they are in an equal opportunity learning environment where all of their voices are heard and respected.
EDC 430
Teaching Philosophy
9/23/11
Teaching Philosophy
As a science teacher, I value three important qualities in a classroom: democracy, self confidence, and inquiry.
Students will be exposed to a democratic environment in my classroom. The students will be allowed and encouraged to make decisions within the classroom. Such decisions include the due date of an up-coming assignment, the topic of an inquiry lesson, and classroom rules and policies. Students should be made to feel like equal contributors to their environment.
Student self confidence is an important quality in the effectiveness of my teaching. I want my students to feel courageous and confident enough to further explore the world around them. Students’ thoughts and questions will be respected by all who enter my classroom. Students will not be discouraged by producing incorrect answers. Instead, students will be encouraged to challenge themselves to collaborate their ideas to uncover the solution to a problem.
As a science educator I value the use of inquiry in my classroom. Inquiry allows students to explore their own levels of thinking. This also allows students to build upon their prior knowledge to arrive at a new understanding. An inquiry-based classroom prepares students to be scientific thinkers, which is a valued characteristic among educated individuals. Students’ creative abilities will be nourished and allowed to grow. Such creative thinkers are necessary to the economic growth of a society.
Every student deserves a fair opportunity to learn. It is my obligation and goal as an educator to provide that opportunity for all of my students. To accomplish this goal, it is important that my students can build their self confidence by being an active member of a democratic classroom. As a science teacher, I am aware that this self esteem will allow my students to take more risks in their scientific thinking when conducting inquiry lessons within the classroom. With all of these main staples in place, my students should all feel that they are in an equal opportunity learning environment where all of their voices are heard and respected.